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Wallace was born George Corely Wallace on August 25, 1919 in Clio, Alabama.[1] He studied at University of Alabama. He grew up in a lower middle class family. As a young man, he was an amateur boxer, where he fought as a bantamweight.

Wallace was a very short man for his entire life, and as an adult was about 5'2" (1.57m)

He served four terms as governor of Alabama, and also ran for President of the United States several times, during the 1960s and 1970s. Wallace was a longtime supporter of segregation; a policy that did not allow African-Americans to attend the same schools, or go to many of the same public places, as white people. In 1963 he stood in a schoolhouse door to prevent black students from attending the school (which would have integrated the school). In a speech, he said he would support "segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever". He was a controversial figure. Some people saw him as a man who spoke up for the poor and was an outspoken populist. Others viewed him as a terrible person, a white supremacist who encouraged violence.

In time, he changed his views, and said that he was sorry to African-Americans, and other people hurt by segregation. He promoted black equality in his last term as Governor. Despite this, he remains an icon of racism today and many people think of him as one of the more evil figures in American history.

During the 1972 presidential campaign, Wallace was shot five times by a would-be assassin, Arthur Bremer.[2] He suffered permanent injury to his spine. He could no longer walk, and spent the rest of his life using a wheelchair.

The Lynyrd Skynyrd song "Sweet Home Alabama" has the line "In Birmingham they love the Governor / Boo Boo Boo / Now we all did what we could do / if watergate does not bother me / does your conscience bother you now tell me true." Even though Wallace is not mentioned by name, the line clearly refers to him, and members of the band have confirmed this and have said they disliked Wallace.